


Desert Sky

by scrawly_times



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Changeling Sniper, Fae Sniper, M/M, ambiguous timeframe is it the 1920s is it modern who knows, everyone is here but snip and eng are the main focus, no cross faction bcz i don't roll with that sorry, so im not tagging everyfuckingbody, the engiesnip is pre-established
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-04-17 23:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14199870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrawly_times/pseuds/scrawly_times
Summary: "The open air and the quiet stirrings of life in the desert called to some part deep inside Mundy that was filled to bursting and so, SO desperate to reach out in return."..."Something was wrong with Sniper. It wasn’t just something physical, though everyone could tell he wasn’t on his A game, but something wasn’t right with Mundy himself."...Then Sniper runs off into the desert, injured and disoriented, and Engineer runs after him. Helping Sniper turns into a rescue mission of strange proportions in the lair of something that's trying its best to kill them at every turn... while Sniper is nowhere to be found.





	1. Sniper - Twisting Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Hello welcome to another episode of "Scrawly why are you making Another weird AU don't you have over twenty unfinished fics" and "Scrawly you haven't updated DNA in literal months what the hell are you doing" sorry i'm lame i can only focus on approximately 1.5 fandoms at once and TF2 has taken the majority of that focus rn
> 
> So, rating: this is a tf2 fic so I'm just preemptively giving it graphic depictions of violence warning, also because i tend to get gross with body horror without realizing it. I always put any major trigger warnings in the beginning of a chapter for you guys though!
> 
> I don't do nsfw, or at least haven't really tried to write it yet and don't feel like fucking it up, but the pre-established engineer/sniper has gotten to the point of doing le do. Sniper's just incapable of a proper relationship (as you'll see soon enough) so the emotional aspect of the relationship is slow to catch up.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: some small body horror, mostly involving bones, I'm unsure if it's very bad or not but it's there ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

The desert was a beautiful place. Full of more life than people realized, in forms nobody else really noticed. More than the hidden communities though Mundy loved seeing the open sky. At night, far from the light pollution of big cities, with a wide open horizon and nobody else around for miles… 

There, the night sky had no blackness. There was no space between the stars. There were only  _ more _ stars, faint wisps you couldn’t see with the human eye but  _ knew _ were there just beyond sight. The stars were so bright you could walk through the night desert and see everything clear as day, as long as there were no clouds in the sky.

The beauty and sheer immensity of the desert night sky always captured Mundy. He felt that when he stood under those stars he just needed to stretch out and he would float away to join the streaks of light in the sky. As a young child he used to sneak outside and raise his hands up to the stars to try and do just that. 

More than he loved the night sky though, he loved the day.

The sheer  _ blue _ of a desert sky was unparalleled. A large, stretching canvas with such a brilliant, vibrant color that Mundy had never seen it replicated in any picture or painting. The saturation and deepness of the desert sky was one of a kind. 

The openness, too, was part of why Mundy loved it. Wisps of clouds would float through empty air high in the atmosphere in breezes you’d never feel below. There was no protection from the sun’s heat. It was oppressive to some but Mundy always found it strengthening, feeling the familiar heat hitting his shoulders and burrowing deep into him. Some days he swore the heat could dig itself right into your very bones. 

That didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate air conditioning, though. Despite his teammates’ beliefs Sniper didn’t like his van smelling like nothing but sweat. He was a  _ professional, _ he had  _ standards _ for heaven’s sake! He enjoyed the searing heat that the rest of RED cursed but when he got uncomfortable and gross he wasn’t above going inside to take a break and cool off for a bit. 

The sky was a bit different in Teufort. The blue wasn’t the same shade as the sky of the Outback. Even the night sky wasn’t as brilliant. There were spaces between the stars and he couldn’t see the Milky Way as clearly as he missed. Mundy put it down as Teufort actually having a city nearby, making the sky more polluted than it would be in the middle of proper nowhere.

It still made him a little upset, looking up at the deep blue and knowing it was a bit off. 

“Sniper?” Engineer’s slow drawl caught his attention.

Mundy tilted his head a little bit, eyes trained on the sky. 

“Whatcha up to, darlin?” Engie said gently.

“Enjoyin the view.” Sniper scratched his cheek, looking over the edge of his van’s roof at him. 

“Ya been up there all day, stretch.”

Sniper blinked and looked back up towards the sun, noting its position.

“...huh, didn’t realize.” He said slowly.

Engineer chuckled a little bit. “Well dinner’s gettin started, if yer plannin on comin down anytime soon?”

“Yeah, soon… I’ll be in soon.” Sniper said absently.

“Everything alright?” Dell said quietly. 

“Fine. Just thinkin.” Sniper tried to smile for him. It must’ve come out okay enough because Engineer nodded reluctantly and left to go back inside, giving a final reminder to come in for dinner before too long. 

Sniper stubbornly did NOT stare at Dell’s back as he left, even though it hurt. Instead he turned his attention back to the sky.

He didn’t think this would happen so soon.

The blue called to him. The open air and the quiet stirrings of life in the desert called to some part deep inside him that was filled to bursting and so, so desperate to reach out in return. 

When he joined RED he knew it would speed everything up a lot. He just hadn’t expected… damn, he’d just thought the ten year contract would knock the majority of his quota out of the way and he could have fun for a few years more. 

Instead he was three years in and trying to fight his aching body for control. 

Mundy hadn’t meant to get attached. It was his purpose, his… his  _ job,  _ basically, to be as human as possible. To blend in. To  _ fit _ in. A large part of the human experience was the attachments. It was very possible to have just enough minor attachments to seem normal without being actually obligated to anything.

But no, Mundy had gotten too deep in the whole human thing, and now he was going to destroy everything he cared about. He couldn’t even stop it. It started the day he was born and ripped away. There was always the deep-rooted sensation that Mundy was missing  _ everything _ and he would do anything and everything to get it back.

Killing helped. Well, it helped him get back. He wasn’t really  _ sure _ of the particulars but doing as much  _ shit _ as possible tended to help fill a quota faster. Joining RED had been the best and worst decision of his pathetic life because it sped everything up  _ exponentially.  _

A couple months ago he’d felt the almost physical click telling him he could return. He felt everything in him snap into place. Parts of him he knew were there but couldn’t access were suddenly stirring and preparing to burst. 

At the time he’d just started a… sweet yet complicated relationship with the Engineer on his team.

That, really, had been the biggest mistake of Mundy’s life.

Now he was stuck wanting to know and live  _ everything _ with Dell, to find what it was humans cherished so much about these bonds. Something inside him  _ craved  _ the butterflies and warmth Dell gave him with just a smile. Mundy felt like he’d give up anything to stay. For Engineer. For humanity. For what it offered and what it said it could be and what it  _ was, _ all the good and the terrible together.

But he couldn’t. The day Mundy was created and ripped free from everything that  _ made his kind, _ his path was set. He was placed with humans. The humans would teach him how to appear and act human. He could not return home until he had learned and destroyed and created and caused enough chaos to satisfy  _ whatever  _ criteria he had to fill. 

Changelings didn’t know. They weren’t told why or what they were supposed to do. Other fae wouldn’t come near them, wouldn’t speak with them, wouldn’t even acknowledge their existence. It was torture. 

There was so  _ much _ of Mundy that was missing. He’d spent his whole  _ life _ trying to figure out a way to get it back. He wasn’t even sure what exactly it was he was missing. It was something fae, something that was part of  _ being _ fae. He just knew every fiber of his being had been crying for it as long as he could remember.

And now Mundy wanted to throw it away. Because of a puny mortal with a honeyed smile hiding a charming brutality and viciousness. Who shone like the desert moon in Mundy’s eyes when he howled in laughter at the bullet riddled corpses of his enemies. 

Not even  _ just _ Engineer. Mundy had accidentally found himself attached to the whole team of maniacs. He didn’t feel anything near the overwhelming desire to keep them like he did with Dell, but he felt an undeniable sense of  _ contentedness _ around them. Something he’d never felt before. Familiarity. Home. 

And now his back was aching, his bones feeling an unnatural cold settling deep inside them despite the desert sun. He was ready. He’d  _ been _ ready. Mundy could have left and gone on his way to a proper fae existence several months ago. 

He held it off, unsure. He wanted time to think everything over. Time to understand what the complicated feelings in his head were. 

Waiting was making it worse. Changelings didn’t  _ wait _ to lift their veils and find their true selves. The moment they were welcomed back into the fold, they snatched it up- and destroyed everything they’d done in their human lives in one fell swoop.

But Mundy had waited. He’d waited, and thought, and searched for answers. He didn’t find any answers, just a confirmation of his feelings. 

He wanted to stay. 

His bones twisted in his flesh and Mundy took a deep breath, fighting the veil he could feel holding him together like flimsy aluminum foil. There was no more waiting. There was no more holding it back. 

The best Mundy could do was leave. The idea hurt, more than anything else, but a changeling’s veil lifting wasn’t something mortals could handle.

And even then… Changelings were different. The veils smothered their fae nature, kept it complacent. 

Humans were so... alive. They thought and felt so many things. Mundy didn’t feel the same things humans did, but he could  _ pretend _ he did, and he was learning that he  _ could _ feel more human than he thought. 

Once the veil lifted that would be gone. Unveiled changelings were wild and uncontrollable by  _ fae _ standards. They didn’t settle down and go back to how they  _ were, _ they settled down and became true and proper fae. Once the veil lifted  _ Mundy  _ wouldn’t exist anymore.

He wouldn’t get butterflies in his stomach when Dell winked at him. He wouldn’t feel awkward and unsure when Pyro gave him muffled shovel talks about his relationship with the Texan. He wouldn’t feel embarrassed and  _ loved  _ when his oblivious parents nagged him over the phone to take care of himself. He wouldn’t feel the warmth and solid emotions of being a  _ part _ of something.

Would he still have any emotions at all? Fae were painted as cold and unfeeling, though many said it was just because they didn’t  _ think _ like anything else did. Would he have any recollection of what feelings  _ were? _ He already thought and felt so differently than humans, he didn’t know how he could ever possibly be even  _ more _ alien. Would he lose any and all shreds of the humanity he’d fought tooth and nail for the past few years? Would he even remember what it was  _ like _ trying to be human?

Mundy shivered, trying to pull his vest tighter around him. He was sitting on the top of a van’s metal roof in the blistering desert sun and he was  _ freezing. _ The cold was coming from inside. It radiated deep inside him and he’d spent the past few weeks completely incapable of judging temperatures properly. 

The worst was probably the back pain. He couldn’t sleep, was having difficulty doing his job, couldn’t find any sort of position or pose that alleviated the cramped aching in his back muscles. RED had noticed. Hell, BLU had noticed! It was hard to use a sniper rifle with any sort of kickback when you couldn’t move your back without wanting to cry. He’d been doing  _ terrible _ in matches. 

Engineer had noticed something was up with him. He’d tried to talk to Sniper, seeing if he could help, but all Mundy did was brush him off. Their relationship was strange and more casual than anything else but Dell still was just the sort to want to help those around him if he could. Sniper was struggling to give him the cold shoulder. Engineer had the  _ worst _ face when his feelings were hurt and Sniper was forced to just plain avoid him in order to stop the overly human feelings of guilt welling in his stomach.

RED was probably about to step in, really. Sniper was nearly useless in the field and everyone was getting tired of dealing with the awkward silences. Nobody was quite sure what sort of squabble the two were having, but the team was never shy about telling them to get their shit together.

Mundy let himself go a little bit, feeling one of those  _ painful _ emotions that were so human. Tears slipped out from his eyes as he stared up into the blue sky. Loss. Guilt. Those were the two he thought he could pick out.

He was going to lose Engineer. He was probably never going to see Engineer again. If he did, he might not even recognize Dell. If Engie saw him he  _ certainly _ wouldn’t recognize Sniper. 

To top it off he was such a  _ fucking coward _ Mundy couldn’t even find it in himself to break up with him. He couldn’t walk up to the man and tell him he was leaving. Dell deserved it, deserved everything Sniper could give him, but instead Mundy was going to disappear into the wind and leave him alone with no answers. 

He felt a very sudden, human need for comfort. For safety, home, love. Sniper straightened up, realizing he’d been curled into a ball. 

He climbed down from the roof of the van as clumsy as a newborn, legs wobbling and barely holding himself up. His hands hurt. God, they fucking  _ hurt. _ The veil he could feel wearing gossamer thin, finally frayed.

Mundy didn’t whimper in pain, but it was close. He held his right hand close to his chest, cursing quietly, looking down at it. 

His skin was turning brown. His bones were stretching and growing and twisting around in the skin like… Mundy couldn’t even think, too busy cursing and trying to pull the frayed veil back over it. His fingers looked like a weird mix of a mummy’s hand and gnarled tree branches. And it fucking  _ hurt. _

He couldn’t pull it back. He’d held the thinning veil so tightly to him as it tried to fall away that the fraying was having a domino effect. He could hold it back, could essentially paperclip it together a bit, but it was falling. 

Mundy wanted to have one last fully human emotion before he left. He just didn’t want to hurt Engineer anymore than he was already going to. He couldn’t take anything more from him.

He threw himself into the front seat of the van, hand cradled to his chest and grunting occasionally when it knocked painfully against something. He didn’t even bother with his seatbelt. He just threw his car into gear and awkwardly steered and changed the stick shift with the wrong hand. Mundy had probably never broken so many speed limits and traffic rules in his life.

He made decent time into Teufort, finding the payphone he usually used on the outskirts. The pain was reaching up into his wrist bones now. He could feel the many little bones splintering and growing through his skin. He wasn’t sure what it looked like, too determined to bother looking down and a little afraid to. 

Mundy realized he didn’t have any change right when he stumbled out of the van, leaving it running. He fell against the payphone and cursed angrily. He didn’t do this usually but this was his last fucking wish and possibly his last day  _ alive,  _ so  _ fuck _ everything. Mundy pulled the small well inside and punched the payphone’s keypad with his good hand.

Energy spilled out of his fist and sank into the machine, causing it to buzz and spark a bit before dialing. Mundy had to lean against the payphone to try and catch his breath, exhausted and invigorated simultaneously from the use of magic. Tears were gathering in his eyes from the pain that was now matching his changed hand.

_ “Ello?” _

Mundy smiled, feeling  _ pain pain pain _ but also an immovable sense of fondness and love. It was some inane hour of the morning or night in Australia and his mum still was ready to take calls in the hope that it was him calling in.

“Ello, Mum.” He said quietly. Something in his voice must have been off. Mundy didn’t know if it was the magic he’d just used, the veil dropping, or just the emotions, but his mum picked up on it immediately.

_ “Marion? What’s wrong? Are you alright?” _

“Eh, not really, Mum.” No point in lying to her. “Don’t think I’m gonna be able ta call you and Da again.” It hurt to be so abrupt but Sniper was more absorbed in enjoying the final positive emotions while he could.

_ “What? No, you- Matthew! Get in here! It’s Marion! He’s talkin- he’s-”  _ She sounded so distressed, so upset, that Mundy was hit by guilt.

“Aw Mum, don’t be so upset, huh? Just wanna… talk a bit, ‘case ya don’t hear from me ‘gain.” 

_ “Marion Mundy you do NOT talk like that-”  _ She choked out.

_ “What’s he doin? Why th hell’re you talking like that, boy!” _ His father’s voice was angry but it still made Sniper smile.

“Can’t really say, but just… don’t think I’m gonna be makin it outta this one.” Mundy was in a very surreal place where talking about his own ‘death’ wasn’t bothering him in the slightest. 

_ “You were supposed ta be safer at this mercenary thing!” _ His da said accusingly, worry practically tangible through the phone.

“It’s not related to the mercenary thing.” Sniper sighed. “Fuck, don’t wanna waste time… listen, Mum, Da, I know I’m kind of a disappointment and all-” He was interrupted by a sharp pang of agony from his shoulder, back flaring up. He couldn’t hold it. He let out a small cry of pain and slipped off the payphone, falling to the ground. 

_ “MARION?!” _

Their worried shouts echoed for a minute before he hoisted himself up and grabbed the dangling phone in his twisted hands. FUCK that hurt.

“I’m fine- I’m fine, just, I love you guys. Okay?” Mundy choked out, in pain and overcome by the emotions he was trying to pull to the surface. He just wanted to feel  _ good _ and  _ human _ one last time. “I love you so much. Even if-” He hissed in pain and evaluated the situation. He couldn’t let the veil drop nearby Teufort. He couldn’t let it drop near RED. He had to get going. “I’m sorry, I gotta- gotta go, can’t stay. I’m sorry. Wish I coulda been a better son.” 

_ “Just because we don’t approve of what you do with your life doesn’t mean you’ve been a bad son.”  _ His mum’s choked voice didn’t even attempt to hide her tears. Surprisingly, neither did his dad’s.

_ “We love you too, son.” _ His da said quietly, firmly, mournfully. His mum echoed the sentiment with a few sobs.  _ “You better finda way outta whatever mess you’re in and call us again, ya hear?” _

Sniper’s lips quirked sadly. “I’ll try, Da.”

There were a few more ‘I love yous’ traded before Mundy made the decision to cut this short and hung up. Everything fucking hurt. His entire left arm and shoulder was a pained mess of pins and needles sensations. His back was starting to feel like a fizzy drink that had been shaken up and was about to explode.

Things didn’t go fuzzy. Mundy didn’t fade in and out of consciousness, forgetting where he was. He remembered every single second of climbing back into the van and driving out into the middle of the desert. He remembered eventually finding a good wash to park it in and getting out and starting to walk. 

The sun was setting, the beautiful blue washing into fiery reds and molten gold. He focused on the sky while he walked, wanting to just get as far away from Teufort and the Base as he could. He remembered every moment of slowly feeling the veil dripping away and his feet carrying him further and faster than they should.

This was where the understanding of changeling unveiling was lacking. It depended on the kind of fae that had been used to create the Changeling. Some fae were more powerful than others. Some looked mostly human, others were so inhuman just looking at them could make a mortal’s eyes bleed.

This was wrong. This slow, gradual twisting was  _ wrong.  _ It wasn’t supposed to work like this.

Changeling receives the go ahead and they immediately peel their veil away. Power floods through them, whatever transformation they need happens in a surge of energy, and they’re nothing but a mindless monster for a while until they grow accustomed to the differences and come back to some sort of conscious thought. That was how it was supposed to be. That was what was supposed to happen.

Holding onto his veil must have really fucked him up, because he was in  _ agony _ as everything slowly twisted through his body. 

Mundy felt his limbs giving up, his legs trying to collapse underneath him. He could feel something creeping into the back of his mind like a shadow. Some dark presence trying to take over. He tried to resist it, but then it began almost…  _ whispering _ to him. 

Safety. He needed to hide. He needed to find someplace deep and quiet to rest and gather his strength. 

Despite Mundy’s instant dislike of whatever it was, he could acknowledge sound advice when it was given to him. Someplace quiet, deep… 


	2. Engineer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone realizes Sniper disappeared and Engie will kick ass for his SO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy
> 
> Warnings... there aren't really any?

Dell walked back into base with a dismayed feeling in his gut. Something was wrong with Sniper. It wasn’t just something physical, though  _ everyone _ could tell he wasn’t on his A game, but something wasn’t right with Mundy himself.

Dell knew the reclusive man wasn’t the best at relationships. He’d shown it numerous times since they’d gotten together, not really knowing what to say or do in most situations. About the only way their relationship had progressed quickly was physically. 

Engie had  _ thought _ he was starting to piece together how Sniper worked and how to encourage him without scaring him off.

Then this… whatever it was started happening.

Being brushed off so much was starting to hit Engie a little in the feelings department, truth be told. Sniper wasn’t the best at telling when Dell had a problem with something but he’d always been willing to talk and work things out. Now, to just be flat out ignoring him? 

“Y’reckon ah did something wrong?” Dell mused, going to the sink and washing his hands.

Pyro, at the kitchen counter chopping onions, made a startled and then very vehemently disagreeing sound.

“What else’d he be ignorin me for though?” Engineer sighed and moved to help Pyro with dinner. 

Pyro muttered some rather unflattering statements under their breath that had Engie slapping their shoulder admonishingly. 

“Now hold yer horses there, Py, Snipe’s a logical guy, if he’s got a problem there’s a  _ reason  _ for it.” Engineer said. “Don’t go shootin snakes ya ain’t seen yet.”

Pyro shook their head and spoke condescendingly.

“Yer not allowed to light his arse on fire for  _ bein _ an arse, Pyro.”

Pyro turned to look Engineer in the eye, gas mask lenses glinting in a pout.

“No.” Engie waved a kitchen knife emphatically. “Maybe if ah can actually get a fuckin reason outta him and it’s a shitty one,  _ then _ you can light him up for all yer worth. Until ah know though, no hurtin mah partner ya lil shit.” 

Pyro pouted overdramatically and sighed loudly. They both chuckled a bit and went back to chopping vegetables and putting them in a big stew pot. 

Engie still found himself worrying, a pit of bad feelings in his gut. His gut was wrong sometimes so he tried to brush it off but he couldn’t. 

“Did one of you send the Sniper for groceries?” Spy’s voice startled both of them. He narrowly avoided both a carrot and a kitchen knife to the face.

“Jaysus  _ fuckin _ Christ, Spy!” Engie cursed a few more times and stomped to try and settle his nerves. “How many times I gotta tell ya don’t startle a man like that!” 

Pyro agreed and went to go fetch the knife from the kitchen doorway.

“Apologies, labourer.” Spy deadpanned. “But I asked you a question.”

Engineer paused. “...Sniper? No, we have everything we need for dinner. Why?”

“His van left the base ten minutes ago.” 

For some reason Engineer’s stomach dropped all the way to his toes. “What?” Pyro was immediately next to him patting his shoulder and asking what was wrong.

“I don’t suppose your couple’s spat has hit anozer roadblock?” Spy mused. Engineer glared at him. “I didn’t think so.” He sounded like he’d already decided or found out something.

“Don’t go playin games, Spy, tell me straight out whatcha  _ think _ ya know.” Dell said lowly.

“His tire tracks were erratic. Something was wrong.” Spy said casually, like there was nothing to be worried about. “I have yet to check the security cameras but I do not believe he is in the… best of states, so to speak.”

Dell was already walking out of the kitchen, Pyro asking what they'd do about dinner with a worried tone. 

* * *

 

“Okay,  _ so _ Sniper ran off ta town without tellin anyone. That’s not like, a huge deal or anythin.” Scout lounged in his chair uncaringly. “I mean everyone’s done it at least like once.”

“He vas injured.” Medic stated, eyes narrowed on the grainy film of the security feed. He rewound it a bit and pointed to Sniper’s stumbling form clutching his arm to his chest like it was broken. “Zniper haz alvays had an admirable pain tolerance. To be zo affected, he iz likely experiencing pure agony!” Medic said with a cheerful tone, finding the Sniper’s pain tolerance a fascinating topic. Scout scooted his chair away. “Und vatever iz wrong, it iz likely connected to hiz odd behavior lately.” He added as an afterthought. 

Engineer was pacing anxiously. “Why haven’t ya tried talkin to him bout whatever’s been up with him? He won’t talk ta me but yer the doc, he’s  _ gotta _ tell ya what’s wrong.” 

That was actually part of their contracts. They weren’t allowed to hide injuries from their Medic in case it would interfere with their jobs.

“I’ve been trying.” Medic huffed. “Zat  _ kleiner scheisser _ haz been avoiding me ven I go looking vor him und I have been very busy lately viz ze monthly requisition papervork.” He crossed his arms. “I vaz  _ going _ to corner him zometime avter, but I’m sure you know very vell just how zkilled he iz at avoiding confrontation.”

“I’ve not had the time to investigate very deeply, but the Sniper drove to the payphone he usually uses to call his family.” Spy said, sitting calmly in his own chair. “From there he drove off into the desert. After that he is beyond traffic cameras and the current trail is lost.” He put down the tablet he was using to view said traffic cameras. How he got  _ access _ to those cameras, he didn’t bother explaining. “It will be easy enough to pick up the trail once we're out in the field.”

“Okay,” Scout said slowly, frustrating all of them. “Right. So Snipes did somethin dumb. Maybe he was drunk! Or somethin. Why do  _ we  _ gotta go drag his ass back?”

“You  _ don’t, _ you annoyin brat!” Engineer slammed his hand on the table, scaring Scout into yelping. “If ya don’t wanna help a teammate out when somethin’s  _ clearly _ fuckin wrong with im, then fuckin don’t! But stop complainin and makin the rest of us waste time tryin ta convince ya to  _ give a shit _ about a man who’s saved our asses dozens of times in battle!” 

Engineer’s angry rant had all of them staring and blinking at the Texan while he struggled to pull himself together. Engineer… _never_ lost his patience with a teammate like that. Well, not outside that one time they’d accidentally messed up one of his grandfather’s blueprints. Even Spy looked mildly intrigued by the outburst. Scout wasn't even being annoying enough to really _justify_ it, yet.

After a few moments of deep breaths Engineer ground his jaw a bit.

“I’m goin ta go drive out after him. Py?” 

Pyro nodded and gave Engineer double thumbs up, showing their support. 

Spy quickly supplied the traffic cams Sniper left the road between, looking entirely too amused over Engineer’s outburst and everyone’s awkward silence. When Dell walked out, followed by a worried Pyro, he looked around and raised an eyebrow.

“Well?”

Everyone suddenly moved and broke the silence.

“I should go vith him. Zince Zniper iz injured.” Medic quickly left the room, jogging after the Texan. Everyone else muttered a bit and moved around before realizing they had planning to do. 

* * *

It wasn’t difficult finding the point where Sniper’s van turned off the road. They had two points to look between - the last traffic camera that he passed by, and the one following it that he didn’t pass at all - and it was pretty easy to see the tire tracks in the dirt where he’d left the dusty asphalt. 

What was weird was that he didn’t even turn off onto a road, just onto ground that looked solid enough to drive on. 

From there Engineer tried his best to follow Sniper’s tire tracks exactly. There’d been a few offroading incidents where they’d found out the hard way why you should follow trails through the desert. 

There were innumerable small ditches and large rocks that could get a vehicle stuck or pop a tire. Hell, a sturdy enough cactus could fuck up a tire. You could also be driving along perfectly flat ground and suddenly sink several feet straight into a rabbit’s hole. The real pain in the ass was in places where firm dirt turned into sand several feet deep and the vehicle would suddenly be buried up to its axles with no fucking warning. The last time it happened to Dell, he’d apparently been driving through sand for several minutes without realizing it and towing him out had become a real fucking hassle that got two other vehicles stuck before all was said and done.

Sure, Texas had its deserts, but Bee Cave was  _ middle _ Texas. More Eastern than Western, where the deserts were. Dell wasn’t used to the desert at all. He’d hated it at first because everything about it was  _ different _ than the weather and air he was used to. Half the time it felt like the moisture was being sucked out of his skin. 

Lately he’d been warming up to it, mostly in part because Sniper loved it so much, but he didn’t know anything about the desert or how to prepare for it. Driving through it was hell. Sniper’s tracks were easy to find but the truck got stuck several times while he tried following them.

Finally Engineer got out of his truck and cursed loudly, bending down in the small ditch his front tires had gone down. How the  _ hell _ Sniper’s junky van made it over that he didn’t know. Pyro made some muffled noises and Dell looked up. 

“Ah know it's hot, Py, but yer not gettin too overheated, right?” Engineer really didn't want to debate with himself which was more important: getting Pyro out of the heat before they had a stroke, or going after Sniper before he drove off a cliff.

“Ze Pyro vill be _vine_ zitting in vront of ze air conditioner, especially iv it vill juzt take ovv mazk, ja?” Medic sounded bothered by the heat himself. “Ve haf come a long vay zinve virst coming to Teuvort.”

Engineer sighed in relief as Pyro immediately began arguing over why they would _ not _ take off their mask. Medic argued back with why inhibited breathing was dangerous when overheating. 

“Both of y'all hush and let me think.” Engineer crossed his arms and thought carefully, face concerned under his helmet’s shadow. “We’re gonna haveta go on foot from here. Can't drag the truck outta there on our own.” He nodded to the ditch with a twitch of annoyance. The truck was slanted sharply forwards with the angle of it. 

“On voot? In ze dezert? Surely jou remember vhy ve do  _ not _ do anyzing in ze dezert vizout ze knowledge of ze exact man ve came out here looking vor?” Medic demanded, highly concerned about the idea. While normally Medic being concerned about something would make everyone _ else _ downright terrified, the German was just…  _ really _ not suited to handling the heat. Nobody on the team but Sniper was.

That did, however, make Engie stop and consider their situation a bit more. You didn't take risks with the desert. 

“Ah’ve got a couple water bottles in the floorboards, we can walk a bit an head back quick if’n we don't see him soon.” Dell said reluctantly. He really didn't want to challenge the desert. Sniper… well, Mundy made sure he knew exactly how easy it was to die in a desert. He was actually the reason Dell had water in his truck to begin with. He'd drilled desert safety into Dell’s head when they'd first gone to Teufort.

“...Acceptable,” Medic eventually sighed, getting out. Pyro followed with a mournful gaze at the air conditioner. 

“No worries, ain't plannin on letting my buddy have a heat stroke again.” Engineer gave the two a strained smile. “Ain't gonna push just cause ah’m worried bout Sniper. Y'alls safety’s important ta me too.”

“I'm touched.” Medic deadpanned. They all laughed, knowing full well Engineer would put Pyro and Sniper’s safety above Medic’s any day. “But zeriously,” Medic said, pulling sunscreen out of his pocket seriously. “Iv I burn? I'm gravtibg jour zhumb onto ze middle of jour vorehead.”

“Fair nuff, doc.”

Engie borrowed some of his sunscreen, they collected the water bottles, Medic borrowed a spare hat from the backseat to shade himself, and they set off. As hellish as it was Engineer could admit a certain charm to the impromptu hike. The open air and utter surety you were the only person for miles and miles of was appealing. Dell might not turn him down the next time Sniper tried to get him to go mountain climbing as a ‘vacation’. 

Because he _ would  _ drag Mundy’s ass back to base or so help him God,  _ something _ was going to pay.

They found Sniper’s van after twenty minutes of walking, the roof of it peeking out of a gully worn in the earth. Engineer sprinted like a bat out of hell when he saw it. 

Sniper would  _ never _ park his van in one of those. He'd been very sure to inform Dell that those ravines (he called them ‘washes’) were made by rushing water from flash floods. And flash floods in a desert could catch you completely by surprise any time of day, any weather at all. It could be raining a hundred miles away and the water could sweep over you with no warning, burying you in mud and debris.

Sniper wasn't inside. Engie checked every inch of it in a panic. 

Pyro eventually called for his attention outside, pointing to footsteps in hardened sand.

“Why the hell..?” Dell whispered, feeling vulnerable as hell in the wash. 

“It lookz like he juzt… up and walked avay.” Medic frowned, squinting at the ground behind a pair of bulky sunglasses. 

Pyro asked what they were all thinking. 

“I don't know, Pyro. I don't know.” Engineer said quietly. 

They couldn't stick around and hope that Sniper came back. The wash was too dangerous to stick around in and they needed to go back to the truck and air conditioning until the others caught up to pull them out. Engineer wasn't going to endanger them just because Sniper was wandered off. Of any of them, he was the best equipped and prepared to deal with the desert. 

“Sun's setting soon,” Engineer noted. “Be easier ta get out and look once it's cooled down.” It was already a bit cooler and they still had an hour or so of light left. 

“Ja, und all ze venomouz creaturez vill come out.” Medic pointed out mercilessly. “Ve vill go back to ze truck und vait vor ze ozers.”

Engie sighed and closed his eyes, feeling his gut churn in worry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk what I'm doing but I hope y'all enjoyed 
> 
> Washes aren't actually ACTIVELY dangerous but they do pose a threat. Sniper probably exaggerated the threat a bit to just get it through. Cause seriously, flash floods are a huge threat in the desert


	3. Demo - Senses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some stuff finally begins to clear up.
> 
> ...to the characters. The readers know very well what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tosses this out* I still love this AU I'm just busy with work and shit. And this month is the beginning of Haunt season... which will mean I'm gonna be working every single night, lol. The pain of the entertainment industry.

The rest of the team arrived almost an hour after they got back to the truck. Engineer spent the time mostly impatiently tapping the steering wheel and ignoring Medic tutting over his pink face in the mirror. Pyro sang and hummed songs to themself in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn't help, but Dell appreciated the effort. 

The others had taken the time to actually prepare a little so they had basic supplies and flashlights for the encroaching darkness. By the time the whole group made their way back to Sniper’s van the sky was purple with the receding light.

They would have tried to follow from their vehicles, but with the dropping visibility they had to go out on foot to avoid any more crashing. Plus, Sniper’s erratic footprints were hard to see whenever the terrain moved from sandy to hard rock. In a vehicle they would’ve lost them quickly.

“He had no purpose,” Spy noted, voice showing his disdain for having to be out in the dirt at this time of night. “He was not walking in a straight line and his footsteps are uneven and stumbling. There is no direction in his course. It is puzzling.”

“Perhaps stick man was confused?” Heavy noted, tramping along behind Medic unhappily. He'd sank into three rabbit holes already. Medic was concerned about him breaking an ankle at this rate. “If was hurt so bad, maybe not thinking straight.”

“Zat iz possible, ja.” Medic said. “But vat happened to him in ze virst place, zen, it makes me vonder...”

Engineer, at the front of their line with Spy examining the footprints and disturbed rocks, only grew more worried. 

A few minutes later, Demo and Soldier both stopped and stared in the direction Sniper’s trail led. Soldier just stared blankly and mildly confused, but Demo’s face… it was frightening. 

“Tav? Jane? Y’alright there?” Dell stopped walking and took a few steps towards him. 

Demo looked… empty and dazed, like he was looking at something no one else could see. His eyes were still focused and clear on the horizon but his mind wasn’t there. There was an intense  _ edge _ to his gaze that raised the hairs on the back of Engie’s neck.

“There is something happening over there! It is not natural!” Soldier reported, pointing out in the direction they were staring. Engineer looked back but didn’t see anything.

“What do ya mean, Solly? Do ya see somethin?” 

The others went quiet and shuffled around a bit nervously. Everyone knew Soldier could sense stuff everyone else couldn’t because of his weird… relationship… with Merasmus. Demo could too, though far more refined than Soldier, due to his experience with magic. But Demo seemed to be affected far differently. 

“Shit man, if yer gross boyfriend is pullin somethin on us again, I’m gonna kick his ass!” Scout shuddered and rubbed his arms. 

“This is not my Lady Merasmus’s doing!” Soldier shouted stiffly. “She is an AMERICAN and will always inform me, her FELLOW American, and HUSBAND, if she has a task she wishes us to perform!” Whether Merasmus was ACTUALLY female like Soldier insisted, they couldn’t ever figure out. Merasmus responded to anything people called him so it wasn’t like they had a precedent to work with.

Most of RED didn’t give a shit, they just wanted Merasmus to leave them alone.

“Soldier has point.” Heavy said. “If wizard was responsible, we would already know.” Merasmus was far too overdramatic and gave no shits about secrecy. He didn't  _ care  _ enough to be subtle. 

Medic finished shining a pen light in Demo’s eye and waved a hand in front of his face curiously. 

“Interezting. He iz not reacting to any ztimuluz at all.”

“He is DISTRACTED by the UNNATURAL HAPPENSTANCES!” Soldier insisted. 

“Solly, do ya  _ see _ anythin?” Engineer said, exasperated and trying to get everyone to focus. “How do ya know somethin ain’t natural?”

Soldier puffed up his chest and opened his mouth to yell something. He paused, mid breath, and then frowned. “I am not sure!” He declared eventually. “It is a feeling!” He knocked on his helmet. “My Lady Merasmus has given me AMERICAN superpowers! I can tell when unnatural things are happening!” 

Engineer rubbed his forehead to fight off the impending headache. Getting a straight answer out of Soldier was about as easy as getting water out of a stone.

“All I can say is it is coming from OVER THERE and it is DANGEROUS!” Soldier hoisted his rocket launcher from its back holster onto his shoulder.  _ Why  _ had they let him bring that, again? “And thus I will FIGHT whatever it is for the glory of AMERICA and bring back the spoils to give to my AMAZING WIZARD WIFE!” The whole team was groaning or ignoring his ranting by now.

“Now Soldier ah don’t think that’s a wise idea-” Engie barely snagged the arm of his coat. “We don’t know what it is or what’s goin on, and our expert in uh… ‘unnatural’ things ain’t exactly home right now.” He nodded towards Demo in concern. “Let’s just take it easy for a bit, huh?”

“I want to fight the unnaturalness of the THING in the distance!” Soldier protested. “My Lady Merasmus will protect me!” 

“Merasmus ain't here you goon,” Engie sighed. “Just… if you charge ahead, how’re we suppose’ta know where ta go? Stick with us to lead us there.”

“I will take that into consideration, maggot!” Soldier saluted. “You maggots wouldn't make it a mile in this terrain without my guidance!” Everyone ignored Soldier's insulting commentary. Like usual.

“Sniper’s tracks lead in the direction of the disturbance.” Spy noted, rubbing his chin as he watched Demo. “Perhaps they will continue to-”

Everyone froze, Demo letting out a strangled cough, as a strange…  _ pulse  _ echoed through the air, obviously coming from the direction of the “disturbance”. It was an indescribable sensation of just raw _ energy _ lashing out across the desert. Even the sceptics of the team couldn't deny the unnatural feeling in the air. It raised goosebumps and had all of their hearts racing. 

Some deep human instinct responded, and it was telling them all to  _ run. _

“Wot th’bloody ‘ell.” Demo muttered, scratching his chin.

“Herr Demo!” Medic said cheerfully, instantly shining a pen in his eye. “You're reactive again! Zat is good!”

“Oy watch it!” Demo smacked the pen light away with a curse. “Gotta bloody headache after that.”

“What  _ was _ ‘that’?” Engie demanded of him. 

“...fae…” Demo muttered, paling unsettlingly. “It was… fae. Dannae wot exactly it was, but it was definitely somethin’ from the faer folk.” 

“Fairies?” Spy deadpanned. Demo picked up on his disbelief in a snap.

“Aye! An ye better believe they’ll kill ya in a heartbeat!” He said viciously, hand going up to massage his temple. “The fae aren’t ta be taken lightly, Spy.” He closed his eye and muttered some things to himself. “Usually don’t bother with them maself, too risky. Too complicated. Too many  _ rules.” _

“Rules?” Scout stuttered a little bit, but with all their hearts still racing, nobody bothered to tease him about it. 

“Fae follow rules. If yer dealin with em and ye  _ break  _ their rules, they’ll kill you, if yer lucky.” Demo snorted and shook his head. “If ya know what fae yer dealin with? Follow the correct rules, ye might come out of it with all yerself attached. But different fae have different rules.” He looked back into the distance, eye squinting like he was staring at a bright light, and scowled. “An’ I can’t remember what sorta fae’s supposed ta live in deserts. Most are more volcanic, tropical, or at least places with lotsa nature. Ain’t much around here for a proper court.” Demoman kicked a small shrub. “So it’s prob’ly a single bein’. Which is both good an’ bad.” 

“So what I’m getting here,” Engineer pinched his brow. “Is that there’s not  _ actually  _ a solid answer for any of this, yet.” 

“Nae, an we better hope we don’t  _ get  _ one.” Demo huffed. “Don’ wannae mess with the fae, especially if we dunnae what  _ kind  _ o’ fae it is.” 

“But Sniper is out there.” Heavy rumbled. “If  _ nechistaya sila  _ are involved, we cannot leave injured comrade.” 

“Eh, slavic folklore’s a lil different than faer folk, lad,” Demo began, but shook his head. “But either way yer right. Unfortunately.” He reached into the bag he was carrying and pulled out a bottle. “Slavic devilry or fae mischief, ‘m gonna needa drink ta deal with any o’ it.” 

“While Herr Demo destroys his most recent liver,” Medic said, slightly deadpan. “Perhaps it is important to continue on our vay? Magic and folklore aside, ve  _ do _ need to find Sniper within ze next thirty hours. Ve have a match ze day avter tomorrow.” 

Heavy patted Medic on the shoulder comfortingly, aware he was annoyed by all the supernatural things flying around. The doctor preferred having the cold clarity of science over magic and unnatural powers. Not in the least because he hadn’t  _ believed  _ in such things until joining RED and Merasmus began attacking them repeatedly. 

Engineer looked out where that strange burst of energy had come from, a grim look of determination filling his face. He very firmly grabbed the inexplicable fear it caused and shook it, shoved it away, and locked the door. He was  _ going  _ to find his sort-of-boyfriend/sort-of-fuckbuddy/it’s-complicated and no damn fairy was going to stop him.

He hitched up his sleeves, grabbed a flashlight, and set off. Pyro was the only one to follow him immediately. The others took a minute to realize he’d just marched away and hurried to keep up. 

The only major upside was that there was a decent bit of moon in the sky lighting up the ground. Dell would bet that they would be able to see well even without their flashlights. The air was cool, far cooler than it was during the day, but stomping around the brush, climbing hills, tripping over rocks, and stumbling over sand pits was wearing them out and making the tepid air feel hotter than it was. 

Demo was drinking fervently through the alcohol he had on his person, muttering things to himself in Gaelic. He was actually running through all the faer folk he could think of and trying to pin down what this might be. It was possible there  _ wasn’t  _ a fae around. There had only been a wave of fae-like energy, after all, who knew what had caused it? But Tavish knew better. 

It was fae. And currently he was the only one with a vague clue what it might be and how to deal with it. So he said prayers under his breath, ran through the kinds of fae he knew about (and knew how to pacify), and hoped Sniper was still in the mortal plane. Because  _ killing  _ people was one of the  _ kinder  _ thing fae did. If there was somehow a gate to their own realm nearby… 

If that were the case, Demo didn’t think they’d find Sniper. 

* * *

 

Pain. Shooting through him. Bones twisting, skin splitting, jaw peeling  _ open…  _

Earth. Earth all around, roots and rocks grounding him, keeping him company, they were whispering to him… 

His eyes hurt, god they hurt, red flowing down his face… 

What was happening? Power, flowing through him, but he was  _ fighting  _ it, why was he fighting it? It was dragging through him like boiling hot molasses, burning and destroying him as it passed. But he couldn’t stop. Something in him said  _ no  _ and even if it would have lessened his pain he wouldn’t let go and let it take over him. 

Why? Why did he care? 

He didn’t. Not really. But he  _ wanted  _ to care. He couldn’t remember why it was important, everything hurt too much, but still. 

That power sluggishly ripped through him and his feet moved, regardless of pain and twisting bones. He was tired and hurting  _ so bad  _ but he needed safety, needed shelter… 

The dirt in a desert was not barren. Desert soil was actually very rich and full of nutrients. The problem was that when it came to plants, the soil needed  _ water  _ to release those nutrients, when the soil would repel and run off water instead of absorbing it. And similarly many fae-like beings did not like dealing with deserts because the earth refused to answer to them. They did not have what it needed. 

And Mundy was attuned a specific degree, he had a very  _ certain _ type of power, and the earth was very ready to soak up that power. 

Mundy needed, and the earth responded. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IS it obvious yet that I grew up in a desert
> 
> Anyways so Merasmus actually being a rather grouchy lady is a fond hc of mine stemming from everyone always calling Meramus she. But also Merasmus never cares what those ridiculous mortals call her anyways, so it's not like being confused for a guy bothers her. Soldier's probably the only one who knows for sure Merasmus is a lady. Essentially your typical "powerful eldritch monstrosity cares not for your puny gender binary" situation
> 
> (magic missile ftw)

**Author's Note:**

> If you missed the tags this shit gonna be wild, buckle up kiddos
> 
> Also my preferred Sniper name is Marion Mundy but he prefers going by his last name


End file.
